The Other Sister
by ErinMarie34
Summary: Haley was a nobody in Tree Hill. Until she came along to steal her life out from beneath for a second time. Even then, to everyone else Haley was always just, "The Other Sister". AU.
1. Default Chapter

**A/N:** This an AU Naley. In all actuality, it's based on season one Haley vs. season two Haley. Everything will come together with time. If you like, please review, if you don't... still review!

**Summary:** Haley was a nobody in Tree Hill. Until _she_ came along to steal her life out from beneath for a second time. Even then, to everyone else Haley was always just, "_The Other Sister_".

_**Prologue**_

_Go away. Go away! Please, just let this all be one huge nightmare. I'm ready to wake up now! _

Opening her eyes, Hale James stared in disbelief at the large crowd surrounding her. They were laughing. _At her_. They were laughing because she was the biggest fool on Earth. They were laughing because they knew _all along. _To them, she was still just Haley "Tutor-Girl" James. How could she have ever believed they could ever see past that?

_Catch me as I fall_

_Say you're here and it's all over now_

_Speaking to the atmosphere_

_No one's here and I fall into myself_

Looking up behind her, she saw Nathan standing on the fifth step of the mahoganey staricase I had just ran-no, more like tripped-down. Blinking away her tears, she gathered herself up off the floor and ran from the room without looking back to see Nathan Scott's infamous smirk turn sour as the laughter died down.

_This truth drives me_

_Into madness_

_I know I can stop the pain_

_If I will it all away_

**_Flashback_ **

_Haley wandered the beach house aimlessly. She had been invited by Nathan Scott himself, who she had bumped into earlier for a split-ten seconds before he decided he was bored and hurried away. As drunk as he was, he seemed to appreciate choice of wardrobe about as much as the other half-a-dozen guys at the party who had pinched her ass within five minutes of her arrival. Maybe they didn't recognize who she was. Maybe they just didn't care. She ran her hands smoothly over the black lace halter and down the blue denim mini-skirt she had picked out especially for this evening. Something she would have never worn on any other occassion. Tonight, though, she wanted to go beyond people's expectations... she wanted to look hot. For Nathan. _

_With her make-up tooken into special consideration for the event, and her dark-brown silky-straight hair flowing gracefully down her back, she forced a smile towards a group of Nathan's friends who were whistling at her. At her reaction though, they scowled, and soon busted out laughing. Her heart pulsated and she turned away. Soon, she would realize she was just another foul in Nathan Scott's game._

_Don't turn away_

_(Don't give in to the pain)_

_Don't try to hide_

_(Though they're screaming your name)_

_Half-an-hour later Haley found herself being led up to the second story of the large house by a much more wasted Nathan. Though she knew where he was heading with this, she ignored the dirty looks she was receiving from everyone and allowed him to drag her on. They reached a deserted bedroom, and Nathan frustratedly began smothering his lips onto hers, digging further in with his tongue. She found herself being pushed onto the queen-sized bed. It surprised her so much, that she tried pushing him off of her. But to reassure her, Nathan brought his hand up to her face, softly caressing her cheek and neck with his thumb and forefinger. Then, he moved his hand down to the hem of her shirt, slowing pushing it up, when he felt her body jolt alive. He looked up to see her face stricken with fear._

_Don't close your eyes_

_(God knows what lies behind them)_

_Don't turn out the lights_

_(Never sleep never die)_

_Nathan smiled, knowing that he was getting his way with her. So instead, he moved straight down to her waist-line, fumbling with the buttons of her skirt. A wild-fire was burning in every part of Haley's body. Suddenly, the last few days with Nathan flashed before her eyes... Him coming to the tutoring center, him giving her her first real kiss in her driveway... him telling her he would never dare to take advantage of her. Her eyes flickered open, pulling the rest of her body out of the moment. She recalled Lucas warning her about this. She recalled their argument over Nathan following it. Boy, did she owe him one big-ass apology. Pulling out of Nathan's grasp, she stood up and pulled her blouse over her stomach, and rebuttoning her skirt. She glanced back at Nathan, who showed a display of disgusted emotions. _

_I'm frightened by what I see_

_But somehow I know_

_That there's much more to come_

_Immobobilized by my fear_

_After that, he shared a few nasty comments with her, she ran out of them room and bolted for the stairs. A little too quickly, she tripped on the fourth step from the bottom and skipped the last few, landing on the floor. She looked up and around at her peers, who had all gathered around the scene. How could she have stooped to their level? No wonder Lucas had been acting so angry around her lately. He saw how she secrelty enjoyed this new world-the world his arrogant brother brought her into blindfolded. It was then it hit her, like a ton of bricks. She didn't belong. This world was not hers, and she would never belong. _

_**End Of Flashback**_

_And soon to be _

_Blinded by tears_

_I can stop the pain_

_If I will it all away_

Haley stopped outside of her bestfriend Lucas Scott's house, looking up at the window at the top-right of the small house. It was the only one that was lit. She hurried out of the pooring rain, which had now completely soaked her hair (which was probably better, because she didn't want Lucas to see how much trouble she had gone through tonight in looking nice for Nathan), water dripped down her face, smearing her make-up, and her brand new outfit was totally ruined. What was the point? She would never wear anything like it again. After tonight, she was going back to plain ol' Haley "Tutor-Girl" James. For good.

_Fallen angels at my feet_

_Whispered voices at my ear_

_Death before my eyes_

_Lying next to me I fear._

Knocking twice, she recieved no answer and helped herself in through the back-door of house. Rushing up to Lucas' bedroom, she failed to give him the respect of knocking. She had tried it downstairs, and he had failed to give her the respect of answering. Pulling open the door, She choked on her own spit and threw it closed again, apalled by what she was seeing. Running back down the stairs, she tripped for the second time that night, this time landing flat on her face at the bottom of the staircase. _Tile, damn_. "Haley!"

_She becons me_

_Shall I give in?_

Lucas stood over the balcony, watching in guilt as he sees attempt to pick herself up off the floor. Haley sees that he had thrown a pair of pants on, not that she wanted to think about what he was wearing, _or what he wasn't wearing_, under those covers. "I can explain, Haley." He tries to regain her trust, but fails miserably. She couldn't believe she ever felt the need to be sorry for him. _He was her best friend._ Maybe, if nothing more, he was like an older brother to her. He had clearly taken advantage of that. Just as Haley thought this, a much more beautiful, much more pleasantful replica of herself stumbled out of Luke's bedroom, now sloppily, but fully dressed.

Haley narrowed her eyes at her sister, who looked away in shame. _She always knew I liked him, _Haley thought. _She always wanted to take away from me the one thing she didn't have. _In a way, this was a chance to prove to Lucas the un-deserving, conniving, spoiled-brat she had always believed her sister to be. The uglyness beyond the beautfil, glamerous shell that everyone else saw. But none of that mattered anymore. In her mind, she pulled the knife out of her back, promising to herself to never let anyone hurt her again. In reality, she stood slowly, then bolted for the door, back into the cold, wet night.

_Upon my end shall I begin _

_Forsaking all I've fallen for_

_I rise to meet my end_


	2. And So It Begins

**Chapter Two**

_And so It Begins..._

Haley finished clearing the last of the tables and hurried to back room to wash the dishes, flipping the 'Open' sign on the Cafe door over. It was late. It was dark. She was tired from working the night shift, and all she wanted to do was get home and get some sleep. She needed it badly, after a long summer of working at Karen's Cafe, and tomorrow was only the first day of her long-awaited senior year.

Even worse, an unkindly lost soul was daring to show her face in Tree Hill after four years. Haley recalled those four years ago when she found out her sister and best friend had been sleeping together behind her back, when Haley stopped talking to them both all-together, and her sister had taken it upon herself to move back to California with their mother , whom had never cared much for Haley to begin with.

At that moment, Karen, the owner of the Cafe and just about Haley's only true confidant, bounded past the door. Her long-lost smile indicated an unwanted truth in which Haley couldn't prolong any more. "Holly's here!" Haley forced a smile and looked away in annoyance. "I bet you can't wait to see her. C'mon!" With that she hurried away. Haley sighed and moved into the empty Cafe again, to spot a silver SC lexus parked outside. Ofcourse, Holly always insisted in driving herself everywhere, because she was just a "normal" person like everybody else.

So instead, she bought a new car with each visit and usually left it with their father. In this case, it had been four years since Holly had decided to stay for good in the town she had grown up in with her twin sister. Haley and Holly had lead normal, happy lives up until the age of eight. Just like any other set of twins, they were extremely close to the point of inseperatibly. But when they're parents divorced, Haley stayed loyal to her father while Holly ran off with her mother to California. This was the reason for the grudge Haley held against her sister.

The bell on the Cafe door jingled as Karen and Holly walked in, attached at the hip and giggling like a pair of school-girls. That was another factor in Haley's once very comfortable life that Holly stole away. Looking back, when Lucas and Haley were little kids and nearly as inseperable as the two girls, Haley remembered looking upon Karen as a second mother, to replace the one who only loved her first born because she was "Beautiful, and glamerous, and oh-so talented".

Apparently that had an affect on both of Haley's "mother" figures, because on Holly's last visit to Tree Hill, she and Karen had practically acted as best friends during the year she worked at the Cafe. She claimed there weren't very many girls she could get along with at the all-girls private school her mother had sprung to for her to attend. Her, and only her.

"Haley!..." Both ladies looked away from each other to stare at Haley, who stood in the door-frame staring right back. Holly's smile faded when she realized her sisted wasn't as excited to see her as she was. Without saying a word, Haley retraced her steps back to the kitchen area of the restaraunt where she continued to wash and load the dishes.

After a moment, Holly appeared in the doorway, careful not to go too far in for fear that she might set off some kind of metaphoric alarm. Haley was not too happy with her, after all these years. Not a letter, not a phone call, not even a goodbye. Neither expected to ever talk to eachother again, not that it would bother Haley at all. Was Holly wrong to expect a warm welcome?

"I missed you..." Holly whispered. Haley's face lay emotionless as she tried to keep her focus on the dishes. "Mom misses you, too."

Haley rolled her eyes, making it apparent that she didn't believe it, nor did she care. "I know how long it's been. Maybe, together, we could convince her to come visit in a few months?"

"I'd really rather we didn't."

"Okay...", Holly began awkwardly, "Um, well.. I was thinking I might drop by The Rivercourt on my way home and say 'Hi' to Lucas. You get off soon ri...?"

Haley's head jerked up at the mention of her former best friend. "Do you honestly think he'll be glad to see you?" She cut Holly off in a rather cold tone.

She could see the dissapointment in her sister's eyes and she enjoyed it. "Well, uh..."

"After all, you are the one that caused all of this. You're the one who ruined his realationship with his best friend."

"Look, I am sorry, Haley, but..."

"Did you even tell him you were coming?"

"I thought you would." Holly looked side-ways at her sister. Obviously, she had been clueless to as how permanent Haley's grudge toward Lucas had lasted.

"That's not my place." Haley said bluntly.

"I'm sorry, I honestly didn't know..."

"Wait, a second," A smile crept over Haley's face, "Is that why you're here? Did you hope to rekindle something with our dearest Lucas?"

Holly scowled and looked away. She didn't say anything.

"Well, just know this. Lucas is happy. He's been happy for the past four years without you. So if you think he needs you now, think twice."

She brushed past her sister on her way out, 'accidently' knocking her nearly off-balance.

Holly pulled her lexus up onto the curb and put it in park. She spotted Lucas Scott dribbling along the rivercourt all alone, and stared wishfully in his direction. She recalled about Lucas not caring about her anymore and she slowly became overcome with a deep depression. He meant more to her than her sister could ever imagine. But Haley refused to understand Holly's point of view, and sometimes Holly even resented her for that.

Before she had left Tree Hill, during her freshman year at that private school her mother had insisted she attend instead of public school, Haley had introduced her to her best friend, Lucas. She knew Haley was dissapointed in the way Lucas and Holly immediatley hit it off. But at the time, she was ashamed to admit that she didn't care. If only she had known then that she would soon regret it. But she hadn't admitted to anyone, not even Lucas... and especially not Haley, the reason for betraying her sister. There was Holly couldn't helpthat she was, still to this day, in love with....

She jumped at the vibration of something hitting the opposite side of her car. The side facing the rivercourt. She looked up and saw Lucas bounding towards the car to retrieve his basketball. He squinted through the tinted windows of the car curiously. A panicky Holly started up the engine and pulled away from the park with full force.

_Lucas watched the silver car speed off. His mind wandered back to the woman inside. It looked like... no, it couldn't be. He hadn't spoken to her in so long. She probably hated him. She definitley hated him. But could she have possibly been spying on him just now? But wait...._

Was that Haley James driving a _lexus?!_

"I can't believe this!" Haley sqealed, her arms flaring out in all directions as she stood in her living room bickering with her father, as her sister stood to the side watching. "There's no way in _hell _I am sharing a room with her!"

Davus James shook his head as he glanced back between his two twin daughters. The resemblance was un-canny. Even after spending so many years apart, it was ridiculous how much they still looked a-like. Haley, a little more tom-boyish, usually stuck to a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She wore her auburn-hair straight down her back, and didn't believe in wearing make-up what-so-ever. Though she was naturally beautiful, she didn't get a lot of attention from boys, which was pretty understandable considering her temper.

Un-like her sister, Holly was more confident in herself, being an actress/model for the past eight years, and just recently recieving her big break in the series 'The OC'. She knew she was radiantly beautiful with or without make-up, but preferred to wear it anyway. Her hair, which had once been a dull-brown, not un-like Haley's, now now lay in elegant waves just past her shoulders in a lighter color. She was currently sporting a pleated jean skirt and a brown American Eagle t-shirt, along with a pair of flip-flops. This was somehwat more of her casual wear, something she would dress for, say, a plane ride?

"What's not to believe? We have only two rooms and we can't have your sister sleeping on the pull-out for a month."

"But it's my room, Dad! _My _room!"

Mr. James grasped his chin in though, and looked back to her. "Haley, can I speak with you in the other room?" He asked, gesturing towards the kitchen.

"Sure, Daddy." Haley sing-songed with a fake smile, following her obviously annoyed father out of the room. Holly sighed and took a seat on the couch. It wasn't as if she was at all feeling insecure or uncomfortable there. But she had been there less than an hour when Haley showed up and found her sister's luggage piled up beside her bed. That was when the bickering started, and hadn't stopped since. This sure wasn't the happy, loving home she had grown up in.

"Haley," Her father said gently, grasping an arm of hers in each of his hands. "I know you and your sister don't get along very well," His face drooped slightly as he said this. "But this is a prayer answered for me."

"You're mother refuses to let your sister visit too often, and this is the first time in _four years_ that I've seen Holly. Now, this is going to be difficult for all of us, especially Holly. I can't imagine how she feels right now..." his voice drifted off.

_oh, poor Holly. She must really be suffering right now, when she's got everything a teenage girl could ever want back in L.A., and she's stuck here for a month with only purpose. To tormet me!_

"But... it's my room," She repeated dully. Was he not getting it? Her bedroom was my special place. Her hide-out. Her quick get-away from the world. The only place where she felt safe, or happy, or relaxed... and now she had to share it with _her_!

"I promise you'll survive."

"What are you doing with that?" Haley asked, stunned as Holly unloaded a pile of clothes from her first suitcase.

"I'm un-packing. Dad already cleared out a few drawers and some space in the closet. I hope you don't mind." She said sweetly.

Haley just rolled her eyes and tried to focus on her math homework. These problems weren't making any sense to her, which was very unusual. How was she supposed to concentrate with all this racket! OK, so it wasn't exactly 'racket', but it was a lot louder in the room with Holly there. Even a pin-drop aggitated her while she was trying to focus on something. She gave up, and decided to get some sleep while she still could. Pulling back the sheet, she sat on her full-sized bed.

"I'm going to bed now, incase you didn't notice." She said aloud, waiting for Holly to quit unloading her suitcase.

Holly glanced to the spot next to Haley on the bed, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Haley followed her gaze and scowled, jumping off the bed. "Oh no! No, no, no, no, no!"

"Well, where am I supposed to sleep?"

Haley smirked. "You get the floor."

"Ohhh.... kay." Holly sighed.

"Great! I'll go get you some blankets!" She replied cheerfully, pulling open her bedroom door. She was shocked to see her father there by the door frame. He thrust a stack of blankets and pillows into her arms and smiled down at her. "I took the liberty of getting you some extra blankets, Haley. That floor's pretty hard on the back.... " Haley looked to the floor and groaned. "Nighty night sweetheart." She was about to reply when she noticed he wasn't talking to her. Pouting, Haley took a step back and threw the door closed.


End file.
